


Reapercussions

by Dawnshadow



Category: World Ends with You
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-07
Updated: 2010-07-07
Packaged: 2017-10-10 10:33:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/98782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawnshadow/pseuds/Dawnshadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beat makes a terrible mistake, and has a seven-minute conversation with a complete stranger. Spoilers!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reapercussions

**Author's Note:**

> Beat hadn't _meant_ to kill Neku, not really, even though Shades had told him to. But something had gone wrong, horribly wrong, and now Neku was on the ground, not moving, not breathing, a small pond of blood under him, and Pretty-boy- what was his name, anyway?- was staring at him, stunned.

Beat hadn't _meant_ to kill Neku, not really, even though Shades had told him to. But something had gone wrong, horribly wrong, and now Neku was on the ground, not moving, not breathing, a small pond of blood under him, and Pretty-boy- what was his name, anyway?- was staring at him, stunned.

There was silence. Dead silence.

Neku's body dissolved into countless motes of static.

Rhyme whimpered.

Pretty-boy blinked, and smiled a smile that failed to reach his eyes. "Well, that's that, I suppose," he said, his voice oddly light given the circumstances. "Better you than Minamimoto, at least."

Beat blinked back tears. "T-the hell're you talking about?" he asked.

"You'll see in-" Pretty-boy flipped his phone open- "about five and a half minutes. You know Mr. Hanekoma, right? You might want to drop by his place on your way back to headquarters."

"Mr. H..." The gears in Beat's head turned, almost audibly. "Wait! We'll get you ta Cat Street. Mr. H saved me when-."

"Don't waste your time. Mr. H can't interfere in this one." He looked at his phone, again, and his expression softened slightly for a moment. "Would you tell him I said goodbye?"

"'A course." He looked back at where Neku's body had been, tried not to start crying, unsuccessfully. "I didn't mean ta do it… jus' meant to make it look right, then bounce. I didn't wanna erase him…."

Pretty-boy studied Beat for a few seconds. "You're a Reaper, with that kind of Noise with you, but you don't know the nature of the Soul?" he finally asked.

"This ain't th' time to be talkin' 'bout theography, I don't think," Beat said, scratching his cap and sniffling.

"This is the only time we have." He shrugged. "Either way, you'll understand soon enough."

Beat wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Maybe I can get another pin, try t' get him back. You, too, a' course, but… Y'think he'd forgive me?"

"I'm sure you'll have no problem getting another of those pins from Mr. H, but don't worry about bringing _me_ back as a Noise. My Soul will be fine without your help. Or Your help, as the case may be." He glanced at the phone again. "As for forgiveness… I'm not too sure if Neku will or not. He didn't seem too mad about you attacking him before, but you didn't manage to erase him, either."

"Oh." Beat looked at Pretty-boy, and the silence stretched between them. "I'm sorry," he finally said.

"Don't be. This is how the Game is meant to be played. Only most Reapers would go for the mercy kill, instead of having a chit-chat with the lingering partner."

"I don't like this, being a Reaper, erasing people." Beat looked down at Rhyme. "I jus' wish there was some other way t' do things." Pretty-boy laughed then, as if Beat just said something utterly hilarious (or utterly stupid.) "Hey! What's so funny?" Beat demanded.

"Well," Pretty-boy said, "I'm sure your wish will come true, and soon." He looked at the phone one last time, flipped it closed. "Looks like my time's about up. I've one other message for you to deliver. Kitaniji, the Conductor." He smiled, this time more sincerely. "Please tell him that I said this game was well-played, and congratulate him on his victory."

Beat looked at him, utterly confused. "How do you know Sha-"

Pretty-boy vanished in a burst of static, and Beat quickly started to understand.


End file.
